Lemondrop Kolsch
Upslope Brewing Company - Lee Hill

Milder than most kolsches, obviously very lemon

From notes taken 03/14/17:

Very rich, clear orange-yellow with creamy yellow-white head of looser, rockier foam. Sharp and enticing lemon, honey (not just from the grain bull, there is honey added as well), and medicinal notes on the nose. Palate is like an herbal or green tea, with lemon, honey, and lemongrass added, as well as crackery and mentholated suggestions and a slightly peppery retro-olfaction. Medium-bodied, almost syrupy with soft and sparse sudsy carbonation and an ever so slight alcoholic burn. Overall, it is like a generic lemon and honey cough drop. Not my favorite, but much better when it takes the shape of a beer. In fact, my second favorite Kölsch to date, and it’s close.

 

 

 

 

 

L: Dark golden color, with a small 1 inch head and very little lacing on the glass. Quite dark for a kolsch.

S: Lemon and floral hops with a hint of banana and toasted grain.

T: Lemon and lots of banana, almost no hop bitterness, some lemon candy in the finish. The banana overwhelms some of the lemon.

F: Light body and medium carbonation.

O: I get a lot of banana in this which is a shame because it overpowers some of the lemon.

Dark gold body; lively carbonation; fluffy, somewhat creamy white head; wisps of lacing. Sweet, somewhat pungent aroma; lemon and freshly cut green grass; mild doses of anise and other aromatic spices. Mild lemon presence with some light cereal grain notes; faint trace of astringency with the hop bitterness. Medium body; soft and dry.

A solid, refreshing light ale with a definite lemon quality (but not overly assertive) combined with a soft, dry mouthfeel.

APPEARANCE: I love the look of this beer. Hundreds of big, lively bubbles cling to the curve of the bottom of the glass before they dart towards the top. The liquid in the glass is perfectly translucent and is a pretty orange-yellow color. The head, made up of a variety of bubble sizes, swells up quickly then begins a slow fade downward that ends with a thin cap on the surface.

SMELL: The coriander is the first smell to stand out. Slightly behind it are lemon peel, candied orange and hint of breadiness. The Lemondrop Kolsch smells sweet.

TASTE: The sweetness from the nose is still there on the palate, however, the lemon from the hops aggressively balances it out. The sweetness rounds out the edges, but down the middle, this is unmistakably a hoppy, citrusy, even bitter beer. Lemon is the dominant citrus flavor with some grapefruit to provide a punch and a little pine to give it some balance on the hop front.

MOUTHFEEL: The strong carbonation leads to a very vibrant feeling beer. The sparkle on it is big and palate cleansing. While the there is plenty of flavor here, the body is still fairly light. And as mentioned above, there is a little sweetness, but the overall balance leans heavily towards the dry side.

OVERALL: With a name like Lemondrop Kolsch, I expected this beer to be good; a straight forward, light, but hoppy beer that did not require much thought. This beer can be that for sure, but it can also be far more complex and interesting if you pay attention. The coriander and sweetness from the nose playing off the citrusy bitterness on the palate, combined with the light, easy-drinking body make this a fantastic late Spring/early summer beer.